Unseen Wounds
by Nightblood2013
Summary: After Wynonna returns home safely, Waverly goes to see Officer Haught in hospital.


Waverly paused on the threshold of the hospital room. Should she go in? She wondered. She had been meaning to visit Nicole ever since her sister had come home safe. She had been forced to wait a while since after the whole ordeal she could see Wynonna needed her close by. Her sister had been really shaken up by the whole thing. They had slept in the same bed that night, something they hadn't done since they were kids. She could sense that her sister didn't sleep at all, probably being kept up by the memories of being strapped to a gurney waiting to be disembowelled. Waverly had been kept up that night with her own thoughts. She felt guilty for only briefly going to see Nicole in the hospital but she had been extremely worried about her sister. As soon as Wynonna was somewhat settled Waverly had left to go to the hospital. Now that she was standing outside Nicole's room Waverly wasn't sure what her next move was. Maybe Nicole didn't want to see anyone? Maybe she didn't want to see me? Waverly thought. _"What's the last thing you remember seeing?" "Waverly Earp smiling at me from the front porch"._ That's what Nicole had said. Waverly had thought about that a lot.

"Is someone there?" Nicole's voice enquired from inside the room.

Waverly took a breath. There was no going back now. She fixed a cheery smile on her face and walked into the room.

Nicole was sitting up in bed. She was wearing a tank top and her red hair was down instead of in its usual braid. For a woman who had just been attacked by a lunatic she looked _really_ good Waverly thought. Nicole smiled when she saw her, but it wasn't her usual light up the whole room kind of smile, it was a bit ...forced?

"How long were you standing out there for?" Nicole asked.

"Oh... not long I wasn't sure if this was the right room" Waverly lied feebly and Nicole knew it.

"How's Wynonna doing?" Nicole asked a look of deep concern on her face.

Waverly was touched by her concern for her sister. 'She's fine,' Waverly walked closer to the bed. She wanted to really reassure Nicole; she seemed to need it. 'She's a bit shaken up, but you know Wynonna, she's tough'. Like you, Waverly added in her head.

"How are you?" Waverly asked. She worriedly looked at the cut on Nicole's forehead and right hand.

"I'm fine, just some scratches and bruised ribs" Nicole brushed off the question. She looked guiltily down at her hands folded on her lap. "I am so sorry Waverly" she looked close to tears.

"Sorry about what?" Waverly concerned moved closer to her.

"I should have stopped this from happening" Nicole's eyebrows furrowed.

Waverly looked at Nicole's face and knew that she somehow held herself accountable for everything that had happened. Did Nicole think that she blamed her for what happened to Wynonna? Waverly wondered.

"Nicole, there was nothing you could have done; _nobody_ blames you for this" Waverly stressed this but Nicole still didn't look at her. Not for one second did she ever think it was Nicole's fault. Waverly herself remembered how powerless she had felt in the presence of a Revenant.

"My job is _to protect and to serve,_ if I can't even do that..."Nicole balled her hands into fists in frustration.

"You were ambushed, that Rev-that man who attacked you was a skilled murdering sociopath. You couldn't have gone up against him alone" Waverly told the truth.

"I was just so useless, helpless..." Nicole said in despair. "I know your family are involved in it somehow Waverly" It wasn't an accusation but a statement and Waverly couldn't bring herself to deny it. "I failed, your sister almost ended up getting killed" Nicole looked utterly defeated.

Waverly instinctively took hold of her hand and Nicole looked up at her in surprise. "Wynonna's alive-your alive I'm thankful for that" she gave her a warm smile. Waverly knew that Nicole didn't know how much it meant to her that they _both_ came home alive.

"What you remembered helped Dolls and Doc to catch the guy; I wouldn't call that useless" Waverly pointed out.

Nicole gave her a small watery smile. Waverly squeezed Nicole's hand in reassurance.

"Ouch!" Nicole flinched. Waverly had just squeezed her injured hand.

"Oh, sorry!" Waverly flustered tried to pull her hand away but Nicole grabbed hold of it.

"No don't" Nicole took her hand in Waverly's. "It's o.k." Nicole assured her.

Waverly looked at their hands. There was something very comforting about them being intertwined. _"What's the last thing you remember seeing?" "Waverly Earp smiling at me from the front porch"._ Waverly smiled.


End file.
